A leaked document from Samsung's investment bank has revealed that the firm believes Apple is planning to release a 7-inch "iPad mini" device in the third quarter of 2012 and is interested in flexible AMOLED panels for future generations of its tablets.

OLED-Display.net claims to have obtained the official document, which is dated December 2011, from "an anonymous user" at Samsung.

According to the research note, which discusses the state of AMOLED in the industry, analyst JungHoon Chang predicted Apple will release the third-generation iPad in the first quarter of 2012 and "a new 7-inch product temporarily referred to as the iPad mini" in the third quarter of this year. Chang also appeared to confirm the use of "higher-resolution IPS panels" in the next-generation iPad.

Chang added that Sharp is "trying to produce" IGZO LCD panels for the iPad at its 8G lab, but may not have been successful in mass producing the screens in time for the so-called "iPad 3," which is expected to be unveiled at an Apple media event next week.

The analyst went on to note that Apple "may yet decide" to incorporate flexible panels into future iPad models, if panel makers such as Samsung Mobile Display (SMD) can increase yields of flexible AMOLED panels and improve resolution. Currently, SMD can produce just 54 million AMOLED panels annually, even if it converted its 5.5G line for tablet production, Chang said.

As such, Samsung's AMOLED production is likely not yet ready to meet Apple's demands for iPad orders. For instance, another analyst predicted this week that Apple will sell 55 million third-generation iPad units in 2012 due to "significant" hardware improvements such as the expected Retina Display, rumored support for Siri voice recognition and possible 4G LTE connectivity.

Samsung itself has been a major proponent of AMOLED screens and has made use of the technology in its Galaxy S and Galaxy S II smartphones and its Galaxy Tab 7.7 tablet. Though Apple CEO Tim Cook was said to have met with Samsung executives to discuss using AMOLED for the iPad, Apple is believed to have passed on the displays for its third-generation iPad, in part because of concerns over production volume and pixel density and quality.

The South Korean company announced last month that it will spin off its LCD manufacturing business into a separate company later this spring. The move is expected to allow the resulting LCD business to merge with SMD into a new company tentatively named Samsung Display Co., Ltd. One reported reason for the spin-off is to alleviate concerns from clients, such as Apple, who are purchasing components from the LCD side while simultaneously competing with products coming out of the company's consumer electronics arm.

The leaked Samsung Securities document emerges just days after a separate rumor claimed Apple's supply chain partners are likely to begin volume production of a 7.85-inch iPad as early as the third quarter of 2012. Last month, The Wall Street Journal lent credence to claims that Apple is working on a smaller iPad with a report claiming that Apple was testing 8-inch form factor devices with a similar screen resolution as the iPad 2.

However, talk of a smaller-sized iPad has drawn skeptical looks from some who cite comments from late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs dismissing the possibility of a 7-inch tablet. "The reason we [won't] make a 7-inch tablet isn't because we don't want to hit that price point, it's because we think the screen is too small to express the software," Jobs said during a conference call in 2010.

Samsung is so cool! Apple is lucky that such an innovative company is willing to work with them.

Edit: Why do the four people in the background look like they are fixing to assault the photographer? The Korean woman on the left is looking at the Korean guy like "So you gonna do something about this?" and the guy looks VERY uncomfortable. The gray haired gent on the right looks like a 1960's secret agent who might pull a silenced semi-auto pistol from his shoulder holster.

Why? No real-life advantage at all. You can roll up paper but people still don't.

I was more serious about the 'larger iPad' to be honest than the rolling part, but I'd point out we have had roll up projector screens for decades, why do you have to use paper as your only analogy. Try the think outside the box

From Apple ][ - to new Mac Pro I've owned them all.Long on AAPL so biased"Google doesn't sell you anything, Google just sells you!"

Apple and Samsung are strange bedfellows. Samsung is a supplier and a competitor simultaneously. This just has to weigh on Tim Cook's and the Apple Board's minds. The potential for industrial espionage could be too tempting for Samsung to ignore. I mean just look at what Samsung is offering. A little too close to be independent development in my opinion.

I doubt we will see a 7 inch unit, but it would be about time for Apple to go into this market. There is no way in the world I would buy the current iPad for two reasons:

No Excel and Power Point
Too large

Without Excel and PP there is no way I could substitute my MBA for the iPad even on short trips, and regarding the size, unlike my wife who carries her iPad in her handbag, I want a device that fits into a large jacket pocket.

I do not care what was Steve Jobs opinions about an ideal size; I want a 7 inch unit, and I am not going to buy a larger one, and there is no way I believe that Apple could not make one that would suit my fingers without sanding. Also the first function I looked for at my wife's iPad was how to get the icons closer to each other, they are using way too much real estate as they are laid out resulting in to many screens too swap between.

However, Apple having the opinion that the size of the iPad is ideal, I don't understand how they can mess up the icons the way they do at the Music app at the iPhone; on several occations I hit the next or previous button instead of the play/stop button because the buttons for no reason at all are spaced to tightly together.

I doubt we will see a 7 inch unit, but it would be about time for Apple to go into this market. There is no way in the world I would buy the current iPad for two reasons:

You can file it for claim chowder but I see absolutely no reason why there should't be a 7.85" iPad. One size does NOT fit all and there are always scenarios where a smaller iPad could excel (Point of Sale, Inventory tracking etc)

He's a mod so he has a few extra vBulletin privileges. That doesn't mean he should stop posting or should start acting like Digital Jesus.- SolipsismX

I do not care what was Steve Jobs opinions about an ideal size; I want a 7 inch unit, and I am not going to buy a larger one, and there is no way I believe that Apple could not make one that would suit my fingers without sanding. Also the first function I looked for at my wife's iPad was how to get the icons closer to each other, they are using way too much real estate as they are laid out resulting in to many screens too swap between.

It's not simply about what Steve felt. It's about what actually works in practice. Apple likes things to be smaller, if 7" worked they'd be more likely to make it 7" then 10". They made it 10" because it works better. Own an iPad for 6 months and you'll understand. 9.7" at a 4:3 ratio is smaller than you'd think. A DVD is 9" for example. You can only truly understand this having owned and used one for a few months. So I'm not trying to convince you because you don't know you're just going to have to trust me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RPT

However, Apple having the opinion that the size of the iPad is ideal, I don't understand how they can mess up the icons the way they do at the Music app at the iPhone; on several occations I hit the next or previous button instead of the play/stop button because the buttons for no reason at all are spaced to tightly together.

You can file it for claim chowder but I see absolutely no reason why there should't be a 7.85" iPad. One size does NOT fit all and there are always scenarios where a smaller iPad could excel (Point of Sale, Inventory tracking etc)

I have never seen Apple make hardware for vertical markets like Point of sale, inventory tracking etc. Apple designs and sells consumer-oriented products. That doesn't mean of course that there aren't people who want a smaller tablet, just as there exist people who want pen input devices The question is: are these 7-inchers a profitable enough market to make it worth Apple's while?

It's not simply about what Steve felt. It's about what actually works in practice. Apple likes things to be smaller, if 7" worked they'd be more likely to make it 7" then 10". They made it 10" because it works better. Own an iPad for 6 months and you'll understand. 9.7" at a 4:3 ratio is smaller than you'd think. A DVD is 9" for example. You can only truly understand this having owned and used one for a few months. So I'm not trying to convince you because you don't know you're just going to have to trust me.

That's fixable. It'll be fixed.

I know exactly what the current unit is like, after all I gave one to my wife. And I do not believe there is one ideal size and not possible to make a smaller one that I, and many other, would like better. When i only had a MBP 15", I believed that that size was the perfect size and a smaller screen would not work. Having had an 11' MBA for a year I have clearly seen that 11" is a much better size for my use.

I have never seen Apple make hardware for vertical markets like Point of sale, inventory tracking etc. Apple designs and sells consumer-oriented products. That doesn't mean of course that there aren't people who want a smaller tablet, just as there exist people who want pen input devices The question is: are these 7-inchers a profitable enough market to make it worth Apple's while?

I'm not saying that they are making an iPad expressly for vertical markets but trying to get people to understand that 9.7" is fairly large for some vertical application of tablets. Some people only need to do data entry on the road and an iPad today can be a little large for that.

As for profit that's the million dollar question. Should a smaller iPad be delivered in fall it means it has a 6 month advantage in parts sourcing over the iPad 3. Deals for components could be struck now meaning that more integrated solutions can be used to shave pricing.

I also happen to think that 7.85 would make a nice gaming platform. In the end I'd love to get my son an iPad but i'm not entrusting him with $500. I could risk $300 a bit more easily.

He's a mod so he has a few extra vBulletin privileges. That doesn't mean he should stop posting or should start acting like Digital Jesus.- SolipsismX

Plastic Logic was an emerging name before e-readers and tablets took off in the last 3 years. Yet Plastic Logic remains nothing but a name, for all intents and purposes. It would be cool to see flexible displays truly emerge. There are myriad interesting possibilities. But, at the end of the day, Apple is a company that does not incorporate new technology just for its sake. If and when they deploy it, there will be a real utility beyond the whimsy of rolling it up.

I think if they did make an "iPad mini" they would probably sell a lot of them... I'm sure apple is at least testing this, whether they do it or not is another question... If the iPad mini is priced at 250-300 then does the touch stay at 200-220..?? This is really the question apple is answering behind closed doors: what will the iPad mini canabalize more, the touch or the iPad.? Maybe neither? Anyway, my belief is apple would still sell every one they make and i believe there is a market for an entry level price point-simple, mid sized tablet for people to test the waters with... They will love it so much, get hooked on the ecosystem and upgrade to the full version later... I see no problem with this... But I trust cook and the gang to make the best decision...

Apple and Samsung are strange bedfellows. Samsung is a supplier and a competitor simultaneously. This just has to weigh on Tim Cook's and the Apple Board's minds. The potential for industrial espionage could be too tempting for Samsung to ignore. I mean just look at what Samsung is offering. A little too close to be independent development in my opinion.

I think if they did make an "iPad mini" they would probably sell a lot of them... I'm sure apple is at least testing this, whether they do it or not is another question... If the iPad mini is priced at 250-300 then does the touch stay at 200-220..?? This is really the question apple is answering behind closed doors: what will the iPad mini canabalize more, the touch or the iPad.? Maybe neither? Anyway, my belief is apple would still sell every one they make and i believe there is a market for an entry level price point-simple, mid sized tablet for people to test the waters with... They will love it so much, get hooked on the ecosystem and upgrade to the full version later... I see no problem with this... But I trust cook and the gang to make the best decision...

It'll eat into the sales of the 'regular' iPad.

Ain't happening. Apple has no need to tinker with a BLOCKBUSTER product for which there is zero competition.

Apple and Samsung are strange bedfellows. Samsung is a supplier and a competitor simultaneously. This just has to weigh on Tim Cook's and the Apple Board's minds. The potential for industrial espionage could be too tempting for Samsung to ignore. I mean just look at what Samsung is offering. A little too close to be independent development in my opinion.

Not to mention the Samsung executive who got caught leaking Apple sales numbers for components to a hedge fund before the original iPad came out.

You won't see an iPad mini from Apple. If anything, you'll see an iPod+. Also, the speculation that this rumored device might not be released until fall is an indicator it is more likely to be a larger iPod.

An iPad mini's 4:3 aspect ratio would be all wrong for a versatile, 7-inch device. These need to be a 7-inch device with a 16:9 aspect ratio for three reasons:
- To hold and operate with one hand on occasion.
- To fit into (some) pockets (a 4:3 device would not fit).
- To fit into the 180mmx100mm opening of automotive dashboards (larger, 4:3 devices would not fit).

Apple engineers would be brain dead to design a device that isn't versatile enough to be used by hand AND in vehicle entertainment systems.

This type of screen seems well suited for DESKTOP deployments where the screen can be tethered to a power source but I fail to see a suitable MOBLIE solution where smartphones and tablets are concerned.

A flexible screen that slides out of a case that it's tethered to is at best a novelty and not a moblie solution.

There is a market for a smaller tablet, that much is obvious. Competitors would have stopped producing 7" variants by now if that wasn't the case, I also hear a lot of people asking for smaller tablets and now there's a trend for bigger phones and hybrids too. People have different needs. Apple doesn't and will not cater to all of those needs but they will cater to some of them (the largest market they possibly can with a very small portfolio of products).

You cannot fixate on a statement from Steve Jobs as some kind of absolute truth! He (like any good businessman) expressed something a couple of years ago that benefited his strategy at that time. Apple are known to have experimented with numerous form factors and settled on 9.7" as the perfect canvas for great software design and utility. But I am inclined to believe that he also knew/Apple know there is a market for a smaller tablet (whatever that size may be) but you have to perfect the vision and the first iteration of a product before broadening the portfolio and catering to an even larger market.

The 9.7" iPad is now maturing as more of a MacBook replacement as well as defining new ways of creating and consuming content. The OS and the Apps are becoming more sophisticated and that is happening because there has been a couple of years of development from Apple, an army of developers expressing their creativity and the processing power/connectivity options are increasing.

I think now is the perfect time to broaden the product portfolio without distorting/affecting the original vision. The platform is set, the software is mature, the infrastructure, components and market are in place.

The benefits of a 7" model in my opinion:Better for bedtime reading and browsing
Better for travelling
Great size for a Sat Nav/In car unit
Good size for children
Great size for portable gaming (more so than the iPod touch)
Makes a good A5 notebook
The size & weight will allow even more businesses to utilise them everywhere (9.7" can be a bit cumbersome on the shop floor but great for meetings)

The benefits of a 9.7" model in my opinion:Larger canvas for productivity apps
Larger canvas for media
Great for browsing at home or in the work place
Great for multiplayer games
Makes a good A4 paper replacement (PDFs, documents)

I think if they did make an "iPad mini" they would probably sell a lot of them... I'm sure apple is at least testing this, whether they do it or not is another question... If the iPad mini is priced at 250-300 then does the touch stay at 200-220..?? This is really the question apple is answering behind closed doors: what will the iPad mini canabalize more, the touch or the iPad.? Maybe neither? Anyway, my belief is apple would still sell every one they make and i believe there is a market for an entry level price point-simple, mid sized tablet for people to test the waters with... They will love it so much, get hooked on the ecosystem and upgrade to the full version later... I see no problem with this... But I trust cook and the gang to make the best decision...

GREAT observation. That's a great question. I think people are just so focused upon apple competing rather than actually innovating. Yeah, the kindle fire is 7 inches. That's got nothing to do with apple. The iPad is a tremendous success and I do not think they would do anything to mess that up. They already did quite a bit of "eating" into the macs when they released the iPad. I would help people at best buy and for what most people use a computer for, the iPad shines. THAT size too. Anything smaller would be a "toy"

"Being in power is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't." - Margaret Thatcher

Creating a smaller iPad will open the door for future larger than iPad tablet computers. People could get introduced to the lower priced 7.85" iPad and love it. Then in another year when Apple introduces a fully capable tablet computer that is equal to or even better than Mac Books, there will be a natural progression for those people to purchase them. Since they will already be familiar with the OS and Apple, they will automatically go with an Apple tablet computer to replace their older Windows machine.

The iPods and iPhones have done this for Apple's iPad and Macs. A smaller iPad will do the same for the company. It will bring more people to the Mac line of computers. Somewhere in this ecosystem will be the Apple TV. I don't know how well it will fit into this. If it has great interoperability with the other Apple products then it too will be a great reason for people to purchase it.